We already had an inkling that Andor’s Varada Sethu would be joining Doctor Who in the second season for Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor—and now it’s official, with the group photo to prove it. Though an earlier report said that Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday would be bowing out after Gatwa’s first season, which drops May 10 on Disney+, now that’s not quite so cut-and-dry.
A press release announcing Sethu’s casting says that she’s “set to take a trip through time and space as the Doctor’s new companion, alongside current companion Ruby Sunday, in season two of Doctor Who.” Season two is currently in production (it’s due in 2025), and the release was accompanied by photos of Gatwa, Gibson, and Sethu at a table read. So, maybe Gibson will be around longer than we thought?
Star Wars fans know Sethu from her role on another Disney+ series—Cinta Kaz on Andor—but it sounds like she’s just as excited to leap into another sci-fi realm. “I feel like the luckiest person in the world,” she said in the release. “It is such an honor to be a part of the Whoniverse, and I’m so grateful to the whole Doctor Who family— because that is what they are—for welcoming me with open arms and making me feel so at home. I couldn’t ask for a better team than Ncuti and Millie to be on this adventure with. This is SO much fun!”
Turns out Varada has some history with Doctor Who showrunner, executive producer, and writer Russell T Davies: they worked together on a BBC production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “It’s a joy to welcome her on board the TARDIS,” he said in the statement. “Right now in the studio, shooting for 2025, we’ve got Ncuti, Millie and Varada fighting side by side—we need all three, because the stakes are higher than ever!”
Ncuti Gatwa made his debut as the Fifteenth Doctor in Christmas special “The Church on Ruby Road;” his first season kicks off with two episodes May 10 on Disney+.
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